The city is named after the Coeur d'Alene People, a tribe of Native Americans who lived along the rivers and lakes of the region and were first encountered by French fur traders in the late 18th and early 19th century. The name Cœur d'Alène translated into English means Heart of an Awl, a reflection of the perception of the tribe's traders as very tough businessmen.

History

French fur traders allegedly named the local Indian tribe the Coeur d'Alene out of respect for their tough trading practices. Translated from FrenchCœur d'Alène or Alêne literally means "heart of the awl" which might mean "sharp-hearted" or "shrewd".

The area was extensively explored by David Thompson of the North West Company starting in 1807. The Oregon boundary dispute (or Oregon question) arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century.
The Oregon Treaty ended disputed joint occupation of the area when Britain ceded all rights to land south of the 49th parallel in 1846. When General William T. Sherman ordered a fort constructed on the lake in the 1870s, he gave it the name Fort Coeur d'Alene; hence the name of the city that grew around it. The name of the fort was later changed to Fort Sherman to honor the general. North Idaho College, a community college, now occupies the site.